Just to be fair to everybody :)

The 15th of May I'll be driving the Z4 and 330Ci as well.

You'll get reviews of everything but the G35 Coupe review won't be until Satuday or Sunday.

Look forward to it! I will be fair, promise :)

Originally posted by Hercules
Just to be fair to everybody :)

The 15th of May I'll be driving the Z4 and 330Ci as well.

You'll get reviews of everything but the G35 Coupe review won't be until Satuday or Sunday.

Look forward to it! I will be fair, promise :)

Be careful. Believe me, it's easy to give in and buy a car you can touch, feel and drive rather than waiting for the 8... Hey, it happened to me!

Your not jumping ship on us Herc, are you?:( Hopefully your just doing it to get a feel for the compition.

Don't forget to check out the back seats. I've heard they suck

Arrite, so where is it??

Herc

I assume you didn't get the test drive? I went to my local Infinity dealer last week, but they wouldn't let me take a drive without negotiating the deal first. I could have given them some BS, taken the drive, then said 'not enough torque for me', but I couldn't be bothered. I was honest with them, saying I have an order in for the rx-8, but I the G35 coupe is also on my list (quite true I have to admit). I want to test the G35 before my '8 arrives, so I can make the final decision when I test the '8. They were happy to let me walk away. So either I forget the G35, or I go to the dealer and give them the BS.

Originally posted by Rexor
Herc

I assume you didn't get the test drive? I went to my local Infinity dealer last week, but they wouldn't let me take a drive without negotiating the deal first. I could have given them some BS, taken the drive, then said 'not enough torque for me', but I couldn't be bothered. I was honest with them, saying I have an order in for the rx-8, but I the G35 coupe is also on my list (quite true I have to admit). I want to test the G35 before my '8 arrives, so I can make the final decision when I test the '8. They were happy to let me walk away. So either I forget the G35, or I go to the dealer and give them the BS. You assumed wrong :)

Clicky clickly. (http://www.rx8club.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=4134)

Infiniti dealerships are pretty strict about people test drive 6MT G35C in general. These cars are very rare and manual tranny buyers are picky. I have heard many people not able to test drive manual G35 coupes. You can test drive an automatic coupe, but if you want to drive the manual~ they'd tell you to find the nearest Nissan dealership and drive a manual 350Z. (Same transmission)

Truthfully though, luxury brand buyers are more picky then most. My dealership wouldn't even let me test drive the car until they forced me to guarantee them I will purchase the vehicle right after my test drive. (Bunch of BS) It's a pain for people on the fence, but the system works well for those who are buying the car.

The handling of auto and manual coupes are very similar, especially if the auto has 18" rims. Brembo brakes feels much better than the grabby standard brakes as well. If you have to test the tranny, then drive a 350Z, they are the same thing.

Originally posted by Skyline Maniac
The handling of auto and manual coupes are very similar, especially if the auto has 18" rims. Brembo brakes feels much better than the grabby standard brakes as well. If you have to test the tranny, then drive a 350Z, they are the same thing.
That's a bad thing because I thought the shifter in the 350Z stunk :(

The notchy shifter you noticed goes away after break in. I know how you feel, because I was hesitant to pick up my car after I testdrove it. The tranny is notchy and somewhat stuff for the first 1500 miles, then once it's worn in~ the shifter is now silky smooth. I still prefer the 'click click' tranny on the S2000, but the Nissan 6MT is also very good. (Better than BMW IMO) My complaint is with the clutch, it's harder to operate than other cars I have driven~ Also, the drive-by-wire system is sometimes annoyn in traffic at low speed. (8-15mph)

Originally posted by Skyline Maniac
The notchy shifter you noticed goes away after break in. I know how you feel, because I was hesitant to pick up my car after I testdrove it. The tranny is notchy and somewhat stuff for the first 1500 miles, then once it's worn in~ the shifter is now silky smooth. I still prefer the 'click click' tranny on the S2000, but the Nissan 6MT is also very good. (Better than BMW IMO) My complaint is with the clutch, it's harder to operate than other cars I have driven~ Also, the drive-by-wire system is sometimes annoyn in traffic at low speed. (8-15mph) Yea but auto mags routinely put a few hundred if not a thousand miles on a car, and there are only a few cars that make their rounds to the auto mags; and the tranny is reportedly still notchy after some time in it.

Granted I don't know for sure... all I know is that the Miata, BMW, and Honda S2000 are silky smooth. I gotta drive the S2000 to see that though :)

Well..since I drove the 350Z, the S2000 and the EVO yesterday, I can comment on the gearboxes. The 350Z's gearbox is better than say the average car, but is much notchier and has longer throws than the S2000's and EVO's. Skyline Maniac is right about the clutch, it is heavy and takes some getting used to. When you first drive it, you really have to focus on engaging 1st gear or you will stall!

You assumed wrong

Oops - missed that one. Thousand appologies.

Glad you liked it.

Originally posted by revhappy
Well..since I drove the 350Z, the S2000 and the EVO yesterday, I can comment on the gearboxes. The 350Z's gearbox is better than say the average car, but is much notchier and has longer throws than the S2000's and EVO's. Skyline Maniac is right about the clutch, it is heavy and takes some getting used to. When you first drive it, you really have to focus on engaging 1st gear or you will stall!
Heavy compared to what though...the clutch on my '96 Z28 would probably be heavier I'd think. I tested the clutch on the RX-8 and I can say for sure that it is a LOT lighter than mine. I don't know about a 350Z but I'd find it hard to believe if it were heavier than mine...I get a good workout of my left calf when I hit traffic I know that much lol.

Compared to the S2000 and the EVO. I bet a muscle car is going to have a heavy duty clutch!

I had a chance to drive a G35C last weekend. It was a nearly fully loaded model, with Nav, Aero, etc. . . The car looks a ton better than the Z. Between the Z and G35c, the G35 is the clear winner.

Power: It has enough, but the band is much narrower than the RX-8's I drove, even with the 6ports "stuck". In fact, I kept hitting the rev limiter in the 35, because I though there should be more HP somewhere higher, but most of the power was right before 4grand. The v6's delivery is nothing like the rotary's power band, which is much larger (from 4000-8500 For the RX-8, vs 3500-5500 for the G35) The torque curve was F-L-A-T however... Much more so than the RENESIS'... I'd consider the power deliver of the RX-8 superior (subjective). But neither car push like my FD does after 4000-7500 RPM. But then again, neither car is a true replacement for the RX-7.

I drove the G35 as i did the RX-8, (as I do with my everyday 315RWHP FD3s RX-7) ... that is driving it hard. So, I got into it around some curves, the traction control came on way too early, way too hard. It also came online at launch and when trying to chirp into 2nd gear. That was VERY annoying. The RX-8's DSC was much smoother. I would prefer no traction control, but the RX-8's is superior, at least in the pre-prods.

The G35 had a bit of a luxury ride to it.. no where near as firm as the RX-8's... but much firmer than most/all other luxo cars. With the RX-8, there is a better feeling of connectivity to the car and the road. The seating position is a little lower in the 8, and the G35 has very high doors, making you feel like the car is taller than it actually is. Steering was fine, but throttle response felt a little disconnected, especially right after letting off the gas... I'm unsure if this is a by product of a heavy flywheel or throttle by wire.


Lastly, the Bose Stereo is OK, but not great. As it is in the RX-8, it would be VERY hard to replace the head-unit and rest of the stereo system as it is integrated into the car's system. I HATE that... I know I can build a better stereo system that has better reproduction of sound, but both of these cars have limited the ability of audiophiles to upgrade their system. I'll repeat: the stereo is OK, but if you want better, you are out of luck with aftermarket headunits and systems for now.